Telescoping airborn launch tube

ABSTRACT

An airborne system for providing means of aerial artillery comprising: guide means securably attached to the interior of a rotary wing aircraft; attachment means slidably connected to said guide means; a telescoping assembly having two ends, one end axially rotatably connected to said attachment means; means for omnidirectional movement, said movement means being attached to the second end of said telescoping assembly; and a launch tube assembly, said launch tube assembly being attachable to said omnidirectional movement means, whereby an artillery shell may be loaded into said launch tube assembly when said launch assembly is withdrawn into the aircraft and further wherein the shell can be fired when said telescoping assembly is extended outside of the aircraft.

States Patent 1 [111 3,797,360 Marhefka et al. Mar. 19, 1974 [54] TELESCOPING AIRBORN LAUNCH TUBE 839,982 4/1939 France 89/375 D [75] Inventors: Andrew J. Marhefka, Port Norris,

NJ; Martin Ravotto, Staten Primary Examiner-Stephen C. Bentley Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Edward J. Kelly; Herbert Island, NY. B 1

er [73] Assignee: The United States of America, as

represented by the Secretary of the [57] ABSTRACT Arm Washin ton, D.C.

y g An airborne system for providing means of aerial artil- Filed! p 8, 1971 lery comprising: guide means securably attached to the interior of a rotary wing aircraft; attachment [21] Appl' No" 178,574 means slidably connected to said guide means; a telescoping assembly having two ends, one end axially ro- [52] 89/37-5 D, 89/1-816 tatably connected to said attachment means; means 1111- Clm 364d F41f 3/06 for omnidirectional movement, said movement means Field of 89/1316 R, D being attached to the second end of said telescoping assembly; and a launch tube assembly, said launch References Cited tube assembly being attachable to said omnidirec- UNITED STATES PATENTS tional movement means, whereby an artillery shell 1.509.267 9/1924 Sperry 89/375 R may be loaded into Said launch tube assembly when 39 375 D said launch assembly is withdrawn into the aircraft 89/375 R and further wherein the shell can be fired when said 3.362.289 1/l968 Guin l.294.240 2/1919 Cooke 1.734.501 11/1929 Schwoebel 89/37.5 R telescoping assembly is extended outside of the air- FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS craft' 554.590 6/1923 France 89/375 D 3 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures Pmmmm 1 b m4 3791.360

sum 1 or 4 INVENTORS ANDREW J. MARHEFKA MARTIN H.RAVOTTO FIG. lc M va-M 1-,

-a2$UMQuqu- PAIENIEUMAR 19 m4 3.797.360

SHEEI 2 OF 4 INVENTORS ANDREW J. MARHEFKA MARTIN H. RAVOTTO BY w 1 M d; 9 MW! M M a-wmflmm PATENTEBHAR 1 9 1914 3797.360

sum 3 or 4 INVENTOR. ANDREW J.MARHEFKA BY MARTIN H. RAVOTTO 'IELESCOIING AIRBORN LAUNCH TUBE The invention described herein may be manufactured, used and licensed by the Government of the United States for governmental purposes without payment to us of any royalty thereon.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The development of artillery technology has long suffered from the absence of an airborne means of artillery delivery, particularly delivery from a rotary wing aircraft.

Conventional jet fighter aircraft can of course deliver rockets and artillery of certain lower caliber. The limited range and utility of such artillery is widely recognized. Such aircraft are clearly not a substitute for field artillery. However, while field artillery is preferable, the problems incident upon the field artillery commander are legion. These include problems of rapid mobility, security, masking of weapon positions, and firmness of gun emplacements.

The present invention seeks to obviate these classical problems through the introduction of a radical new approach into artillery warfare. This approach utilizes large rotary wing aircraft, such as helicopters in the UITI-E disk, as a means for delivering artillery rockets or other large payloads to enemy targets, without the disclosure of any forewarning to the adversary of the fact that such aircraft is so equipped.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide an aerial artillery system.

Another object is to provide an artillery system suitable to use in a rotary wing aircraft.

A further object is to provide an aerial artillery system whose presence within a rotary wing aircraft would not, prior to its use, be detectable by ground observers.

Yet another object is to provide an aerial system capable of selectable and mobile hit-and-run artillery attacks on enemy targets beyond the line of the forward echelon battle area (FEBA).

The present invention comprises: guide means securably attached to the interior of a rotary wing aircraft; attachment means slidably connected to said guide means; a telescoping assembly having two ends, one end axially rotatably connected to said attachment means; means for omnidirectional movement, said omnidirectional movement means being attached to the second end of said telescoping assembly; and a launch tube assembly, said launch tube assembly being attachable to said movement means, whereby an artillery shell may be loaded into said launch tube assembly when said launch assembly is withdrawn into the aircraft and further wherein the shell can be fired when said telescoping assembly is extended outside of the aircraft.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIGS. la, b, and c are cut-away elevational views of the aerial artillery system in three different positions.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary partial cross-sectional view of the omnidirectional movement means and adjoining areas of the system.

FIG. 3 is a partial front perspective view of the launch tube assembly in elevated position.

FIG. 4a is a partially contracted perspective view of the telescoping assembly and the various associated control connections.

FIG. 4b is a view taken along line b-b in FIG. 4a of the azimuth control assembly.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION FIG. 1 offers a general view of the present invention. Illustrated therein is a guide means such as a guide track 10 which is attached to a ceiling 10a of the interior of a rotary wing aircraft. An attachment means 11 is slidably connected to the guide track 10. The slidable function of the track may be realized through the use of track rollers 11a (See FIG. 4). Connected to the attachment means 11 is an elongated telescoping assembly 12 having one end axially rotatably mounted within a plurality of L-shaped legs 1112 on the attachment means 1 1. Attached to the other end of the telescoping assembly is one side of a means for omnidirectional movement such as a universal joint 13 (See FIG. 2). And, attached in turn to the other side of the joint 13, is a first coupling means 14.

A launch tube assembly 15 is attachable to the telescoping tube assembly 12 by a second coupling means 16 which means is attachable to the first coupling means 14. The attachment of the first and second coupling means may be effected by a coupling lock 17 (See FIG. 3).

FIG. 1 also illustrates the three basic operating positions of the present system. These are labeled as A, B and C in said figure. Position A is a stowed away position in which the launch tube assembly 15 may be disconnected from the telescoping tube assembly 12. In position A the aircraft may be filled with cargo or materiel since little storage space is required for the system. Position B is the preparation and loading position of the system. In this position, the coupling means 14 and 16 are interlocked. Position C is the firing position of the system. The telescoping tubes are in an extended position outside of a floor 17a of the aircraft.

The launch tube assembly 15 includes a launch tube 18, a means for gyroscopic stabilization 18a and an elevation control means 19. The stabilization means 18a are operably coupled to the launch tube 18. The stabilization means 18a maintains the launch tube in a steady reference plane while the system above can rotate spherically on the universal joint 13. The elevation control means 19 illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3 has a reciprocating piston member 20 which is in operable engagement with the launch tube 18.

Any desired gun position can be obtained through selectable adjustments of the elevation control means 19 and an azimuth control assembly 21 (see FIG. 4), a handle 21a, which controls the axial rotation of the telescoping tube assembly 12 at its interface with the slidable attachment means 11. The elevation control means may be of either pneumatic or hydraulic construction. Also, the launch tube 18 may include, or be substituted by, a plurality of launch tubes. This plurality would be similarly operated to the single launch tube system.

FIG. 4 also illustrates a launch tube elevation control plug 22, a firing control and gyro plug 23. These controls are operated from the main control panel of the aircraft.

FIG. 2 additionally illustrates a gyro cable 24, a retraction cable 25, an elevation control cable 26 and an ignition wire 27. These wires and cables are all dispensed, rewound and stored on spring loaded spools that, among other functions, prevent twisting of the cables. Further illustrated is a shock absorber 28 for reducing the effect of aircraft vibrations on the launch tube.

The present aerial system can be installed in a helicopter aircraft of the Ul-ll-B class.

Optimum efficiency can be obtained through the use of slow-burning rocket ammunition. With the use of such ammunition in the present telescoping artillery system, blast effects on the aircraft are minimized.

Finally, the concealability of the present weapon system must be noted. When the telescoping assembly 12 is retracted into the aircraft, a ground observer would have absolutely no indication of the presence of the aerial artillery system.

It is thus seen that the objects set forth above are among those made apparent from, and efficiently attained by, the preceding description.

We wish it to be understood that we do not desire to be limited to the exact detail of construction shown and described for obvious modification will occur to persons skilled in the art.

Having described our invention, what we claim as new, useful and non-obvious and accordingly secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. An airborne system for providing aerial artillery from a rotary wing aircraft, comprising:

a guide track rigidly attached to the interior of the 4 aircraft; attachment means slidably mounted on siad guide track;

a telescoping tube assembly having two ends, one end connected to said slidable attachment means substantially normal thereto;

a universal joint having two ends, one attached to the second end of said telescoping assembly;

a first coupling means attached to the other side of said joint;

a second coupling means attachable to said first coupling means;

a launch tube assembly attached to said second coupling means; said launch tube assembly including a launch tube, and means for controlling the elevational angle of said launch tube, said elevation control means comprising a launch tube elevation assembly including a pivotal member and a reciprocating piston member in operative engagement with said launch tube;

whereby an artillery shell can be loaded into said launch tube assembly when said telescoping assembly is withdrawn into the aircraft and further wherein the shell can be fired when said telescoping assembly is extended outside of the aircraft.

2. The system as recited in claim 1 in which said elevation assembly is pneumatically operated.

3. The system as recited in claim 1 in which said elevation assembly is hydraulically operated. 

1. An airborne system for providing aerial artillery from a rotary wing aircraft, comprising: a guide track rigidly attached to the interior of the aircraft; attachment means slidably mounted on siad guide track; a telescoping tube assembly having two ends, one end connected to said slidable attachment means substantially normal thereto; a universal joint having two ends, one attached to the second end of said telescoping assembly; a first coupling means attached to the other side of said joint; a second coupling means attachable to said first coupling means; a launch tube assembly attached to said second coupling means; said launch tube assembly including a launch tube, and means for controlling the elevational angle of said launch tube, said elevation control means comprising a launch tube elevation assembly including a pivotal member and a reciprocating piston member in operative engagement with said launch tube; whereby an artillery shell can be loaded into said launch tube assembly when said telescoping assembly is withdrawn into the aircraft and further wherein the shell can be fired when said telescoping assembly is extended outside of the aircraft.
 2. The system as recited in claim 1 in which said elevation assembly is pneumatically operated.
 3. The system as recited in claim 1 in which said elevation assembly is hydraulically operated. 